Stair.



PEIROE ANDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented NOV. 20, 1906.

Application filed January 27,1906. Serial No. 298,201.

To (til whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, PEIRoE ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chioago, county of Cook, State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Stairs; and I declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates in general to stair structures, and more particularly to stairs especially adapted for railroad-stations.

In the construction of many railroad-stations the main floor is at a higher level than the track-surface, which necessitates the employment of stairs for the use of passengers going to and from the trains. As the tracks are necessarily located close together, the space between the adjacent tracks is limited. Consequently the stairs leading to such space from the main floor must be of comparatively narrow width in order that there may be passage-ways around the stairs between the tracks.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a stair structure leading from the track-surface of a railroad-station to the main floor at a higher level so arranged that the stairs may have a maximum capacity with a minimum obstruction of the space between the tracks.

A further object of my invention is to provide an improved stair structure comprising two separate passage-ways leading from the higher to the lower level which will require only the width of a single set of steps at the lower level and which may be so adjusted as to connect any one of a plurality of points on the upper level with either of two points on the lower level.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an improved stair structure'which will be simple in arrangement, inexpensive in construction, and which will require comparatively little space on the lower level and will afford the greatest possible capacity.

My invention will be more fully described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same is illustrated as embodied in two convenient and practical forms, and in which Figure 1 is a vertical section on line 1 1, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan View; Fig. 3, a vertical sectional view on line 3 3, Fig. 4 and Fig. 4, a plan view of the modified structure shown in Fig. 3.

Similar reference characters are used to designate similar parts in the several figures of the drawings.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, reference-letter A indicates the lower level, which is shown as the track-surface of a depot.

Reference characters A and A indicate tracks, between which is a space to afford a passage-way for the passengers in going to and coming from the trains on both of the tracks. In large depots it is necessary that the tracks should be comparatively close together, which only allows a limited space between the tracks.

0 indicates the main floor of the depot, which is at a higher level than the track-surface and from which the passengers go to and from the trains on the tracks.

B indicates a landing located at a level intermediate between the surface A and the main floor C, but at such a height that it will be above the heads of the persons walking along the space between the tracks. Any suitable means may be provided for supporting the landing B-such, for instance, as a pillar b. Extending downward from the opposite sides of the landing B are sets of stairs B and B arranged in alinement with each other and preferably centrally with respect to the space between the tracks. Extending upward from the landing B at each side of the set of stairs B are sets of stairs C and C leading to the upper level C.

D indicates a swinging gate or barrier suitably mounted upon the landing Bas, for instance, by an oscillating post d. The barrier D serves to separate the sets of stairs,so as to form two separate flights of stairs leading from the track-surface to the upper level. When the barrier is in the position shown in Fig. 2, a flight of stairs is afforded by the set of stairs B leading upward to the landing and the set of stairs C leading upward from the landing, while another flight of stairs is afforded by the set of stairs B leading upward to the opposite side of the landing and the set of stairs C leading upward to the main floor. In this manner passengers going to a train on one track are provided with a separate stairway from that used by passen 'gers in going to the main floor from a train on the other track.

It is obvious that the barrier D may be swung into the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, thereby connecting the lower set of stairs B with the upper set of stairs C to form one flight of stairs and connecting the lower set of stairs B with the upper set of stairs C to form a second passage-way.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have illustrated a modified structure embodying my invention in which two sets of stairs extend upward from each side of the landing B, so as to connect each of the lower sets of stairs with either or both of the two sets of stairs, one leading from either side of the landing to the upper level. In these figures reference characters a and 0 indicate sets of stairs extending upward from the side of the landing B to which the lower set of stairs B extends.

D indicates a swinging barrier mounted upon the platform in any suitable manner as, for instance, by a rotary post (1. This barrier may be oscillated or revolved so as to connect each of the lower sets of stairs with a set of stairs leading from each side of the landing to the upper level. In the position of the gate shown in Fig. 4 one flight of steps is afforded by thelower set B and sets C and c extending upward from the landing, while a separate flight of steps is provided comprising the lower set of stairs B and the set C and 0 extending upward from the landing. By oscillating the barrier D to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 the connections between the lower sets of stairs and the upper sets of stairs are reversed.

By thearrangement shown in Figs. 3 and 4' passengers may ass to and from the main floor C at each slde of the stair structure to each of the sets of stairs extending downwardly from the landing.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that I have invented an improved stair structure by means of which a maximum capacity results with a minimum obstruction of the space at the lower level and by means of which separate flights of stairs are provided for two groups of persons going independently and without conflict to two different trains starting from the same platform or one set for persons going up and the other for persons coming down, the two flights of stairs only requiring a space at the lower level of a width of one set of stairs.

While my invention is especially adapted for railroad-stations, yet it is obvious that it may be used wherever it is desirable to econ, omize the space at the lower level of the stairs.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a stair structure, the combination with a landing intermediate between the upper and lower levels, of sets of stairs extending from the opposite sides of said landing to the lower level, a plurality of sets of stairs extending from said landing to the upper level, and means upon said landing for connecting either of said downward-extending sets I of stairs with either of said upwardextending sets of stairs.

2. In a stair structure, the combination with a landing intermediate between the upper and lower levels, of alined sets of stairs extending from opposite sidesof said landing to the lower level, two sets of stairs extending upward from each side of said land ing on each side of the downwardly-extending set of stairs on said side of the landing, and a gate upon said landing for connecting the set of stairs extending downward on either side of said landing with sets of stairs extending upward from both sides of said landing.

3. In a stair structure for railroad-stations, the combination with a landing located between adjacent tracks and at a height intermediate between the track-surface and the main floor of the station, of sets of stairs extending downward in opposite directions from the opposite sides of said landing to the track-level, a plurality of stairs extending from said landing to the level of the main floor, and means upon said landing for connecting either of said downward-extending sets of stairs to either of said upwardextending sets of stairs.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses. I

PEIRCE ANDERSON.

Witnesses:

GEO. L. WILKINSON, G. A. MULLEN. 

